Achalasia is an uncommon oesophageal motor disorder characterized by failure of relaxation of the lower oesophageal sphincter and muscle hypertrophy, resulting in a loss of peristalsis and a dilated oesophagus. Gastrointestinal symptoms are invariably present in all cases of achalasia observed in adults. We report a case of a 34 year-old female patient with long standing history of asthma-like ...

The best-defined primary esophageal motor disorder is achalasia. However, symptoms such as dysphagia, regurgitation and chest pain can be caused by other esophageal motility disorders. The Chicago classification introduced new manometric parameters and better defined esophageal motility disorders. Motility disorders beyond achalasia with the current classification are: esophagogastric junction ...

The last 2 decades have witnessed a revolution in the treatment of esophageal achalasia. Nowadays, laparoscopic Heller myotomy with partial fundoplication is considered in most centers the primary treatment modality, while endoscopic treatment, i.e. pneumatic dilatation, is mainly reserved for the management of patients unfit for surgery or in case of surgical failure. Recently, a new approach ...

With the increasing availability of manometry, patients with achalasia are often referred at an early stage when they lack the classic features of established disease. A prospective five year study of the presenting features of untreated achalasia referred to our department was undertaken. Twenty men and 18 women presented throughout adult life, with a mean age at the time of diagnosis of 44 ye...

Idiopathic achalasia is a disease of unknown etiology. The loss of myenteric plexus associated with inflammatory infiltrates and autoantibodies support the hypothesis of an autoimmune mechanism. Thirty-two patients diagnosed by high-resolution manometry with achalasia were included. Twenty-six specimens from lower esophageal sphincter muscle were compared with 5 esophagectomy biopsies (control)...

Achalasia is a rare motor disorder of the esophageal smooth muscle that occurs in 1 in 100,000 individuals. The disorder occurs at the level of the lower esophageal sphincter which does not relax normally with swallowing [1]. This leads to progressive dysphagia, chest pain and regurgitation of undigested foods and liquids. The underlying abnormality is loss of intramural neurons and is usually ...

BACKGROUND There are only three reports using conventional sonography to detect the gastroesophageal junction through the left lobe liver window in patients with achalasia, and the results were inconsistent. This study further characterizes the sonographic features of achalasia and compares them to characteristics of subjects with gastroesophageal malignancies. METHODS Conventional sonography...

Botulinum toxin injection is an accepted treatment modality for esophageal achalasia in western countries. This pilot study aimed to clarify the effectiveness of botulinum toxin injection for esophageal achalasia in Japanese patients. We enrolled 10 patients diagnosed with esophageal achalasia between 2008 and 2014. A total of 100 U botulinum toxin A was divided into eight aliquots and injected...

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuroradiculopathy (CIDP) is an immune mediated disorder characterized by progressive developing or relapsing symmetrical motor or sensory symptoms in more than one limb over a period of two months. Achalasia, as a primary esophageal motility disorder, is also characterized by increasing the tone of lower esophageal sphincter, absence or incomplete sphinct...

To determine the incidence of oesophageal carcinoma in patients with achalasia and to establish the efficacy of endoscopic surveillance, 195 consecutive patients with achalasia (90 men and 105 women, mean age 52 years), who were treated by pneumatic dilatation in our institution between 1973 and 1988 were prospectively studied. None of the patients had undergone cardiomyotomy. Follow up totalle...